This week an inquiry begins into yet another train crash - five people died at Cowden, Kent, in October when two trains were involved in a head-on collision. After the King's Crossfire and the Clapham rail disaster, government inquiries recommended numerous safety measures. More than half a decade later, many have yet to be implemented. Rail operators claim that some of those plans are simply not cost effective, even though many of our European partners have them. First Sight asks how much a passenger's life is worth and why executives prefer to pay that price rather than invest in certain safety measures.
A phone-in discussion of the issues raised in the programme follows immediately on BBC Radios Berkshire, Kent, Oxford and GLR. If you would like to take part, call [number removed] after the programme.
Producer Michael Gooding ; Editor Alison Rooper
Repeated next Tuesday
REGIONAL PROGRAMME: see variations below